Making Money from Your Music on YouTube: What You Need to Know!

[Click HERE for full details about CD Baby’s FREE sync licensing program and start making money from YouTube today.]

Did you know that you can now earn money from your music on YouTube? The video streaming giant is fast becoming one of the most popular music-discovery platforms, but it’s not only a great site for PROMOTING your music; YouTube has also turned into an essential vehicle for driving independent artist revenue.

With CD Baby’s sync licensing program, you’ll can get paid for the usage of your music on YouTube— and not just in your own videos; over 60 hours of new video is uploaded to YouTube every minute. That’s a lot of people who need good tunes to match up with the cuddly cat videos and wedding slideshows they’re posting. Our partnership with music licensing firm, Rumblefish, will make your music available for these new income-generating opportunities on YouTube. We have two sync licensing options at CD Baby (All Media and MicroSync), both of which give you have the ability to get in on the action.

Since there can be some confusion when dealing with a few companies at once (for example: CD Baby partners with Rumblefish to collect money from YouTube on your behalf) we thought we’d prepare this little guide for you. It’s intended to help you understand how it works so you don’t inadvertently (and temporarily) screw up your ability to get paid.

YouTube’s content ID system

Once you’ve chosen which sync licensing option is best for your music (and opted-in, of course), your music will be delivered to YouTube’s content ID system. This means that YouTube will scan your tracks with their magical high-tech machinery and register an exact sonic “fingerprint” for each and every one of your songs in their database.

From that point on, any time someone out there in the YouTube universe uploads a video which uses one of your songs, you will make money from the ad revenue generated by that video.

The more videos on YouTube using your music, the more money you can make.

Once YouTube has fingerprinted your music in their content ID process, every video that contains your music will generate ad revenue for you. This includes videos YOU have uploaded. If you login to your YouTube account and see a copyright notice like the one shown below– don’t worry!

No one is claiming ownership of your music. This just means the content ID system identified your song and it’s now setup to generate revenue.

What should I do if YouTube shows me a copyright notice concerning videos I’ve uploaded that contain my own music?

Nothing. This is your indicator that your music is now ready for monetization on YouTube. DO NOT DISPUTE IT! Whenever your videos (or someone else’s videos that use your music) are played, you’ll earn money from ad revenue.

In other words, the notice you received is simply a product of YouTube’s content ID system; there is no actual infringement. They have identified the music used in your video as an asset from the Rumblefish catalog (CD Baby’s music licensing partner), which allows YouTube to monetize the video by placing ads around it.

Our policy is to not block videos that are identified, as we want the artists/copyright holders of the music to be paid royalties as a result of the ad placements.

YouTube operates a free service for hundreds of millions of people. The ad revenue generated from content ID is how they continue to offer the service for free.

But I own the song. Why doesn’t YouTube know that?

There are many scenarios where an artist might not actually own the song (for instance: they’re signed to a label that owns the master recording). YouTube doesn’t know all the details; they just know that Rumblefish (who has partnered with CD Baby for this sync licensing program) is administering the monetization of that song. They will collect the money owed to you and it will be paid through your CD Baby account. NO ownership of your music is being transferred to Rumblefish.

I’m already a YouTube partner and have ad revenue set up for the videos in my channel, will the exclusive content ID rights affect my standing with the revenue stream on my videos?

This will not interfere with your monetized videos that DO NOT contain music that is a part of the CD Baby Sync program. But it’s possible that it could interfere with your videos that do contain music you’ve opted-in for CD Baby’s sync licensing program. If so, send an email to cdbaby@cdbaby.com and we will give you instructions on how to quickly solve this problem.

Hopefully this explanation of YouTube’s Content ID process is helpful. As always, if you have additional comments or questions, please leave them in the section below.

In this article

Join the Conversation

Linda

I just this AM woke up to a problem with adsense. I am using music from a 17th century song, but my own lyrics and photo content and they still removed it.
I am going to release the song soon thru CDBaby and I hope they don’t give rumblefish the same BS. It also looks like they are removing the adsense revenue from the ones rumblefish is monitizing as they don’t show they are monitized anymore thru adsense. I hope this does not become a pain : (

Velcro Mary

I've opted in for sync licensing, but have two questions regarding YouTube:

1. What about videos that I uploaded prior to opting in for sync licensing. Will they be scanned by the content ID process eventually? I would hate to have to re-upload the videos and lose all of my views, comments, etc.

2. When given the option, I chose to NOT let YouTube display ads during my videos. They're annoying, and the pennies I would receive weren't worth the aggravation to my fans. Now that I've opted in for sync licensing, will YouTube display pop-up ads in my videos or run full-sized ads before my video plays?

Hey Vecro, they WILL run ads now. That is how you get paid from YouTube. I'm pretty sure they're pop-ups, but I'll double check to be sure. As for previously uploaded videos, you're all set. You don't have to re-upload anything. YouTube will content ID those older videos too!

Mark

Just to be sure: If I opt in here, any vids that currently use my songs will now show ad? I'm with Velcro Mary, I'd rather not have ads at all. Surely there is a more reasonable way to track a portion of earnings.

A second question: do the synch rights only track to a certain recording of the song? Or is there a way to get royalties from live performance vids, say?

To your first point, the ads ARE the earnings, though. With no ads– no earnings to share. So if you're concerned with having ads on your videos, I'd recommend not signing up for the program.

Regarding second question, the content IDing is only going to work for the master recording of the song, NOT the composition, unless, of course, you were selling the live performances through CD Baby as well, in which case YouTube could content ID those recordings as well.

Above you stated that Rumblefish content IDing is only going to work for the master recording of the song, NOT the composition. I have had the experience of uploading cover songs which, before I even had a chance to add title or any text, we’re Content IDd. Here is the message on one of my vids —
“Eye Has Not Seen, musical composition administered by: One or more music publishing rights collecting societies”

So there must be content IDers who do collect for both the sound recording and the underlying composition? Do you know of any? Is Rumblefish considered a “publishing rights collecting societies” or is that a different type of company?

Would Rumblefish collect for underlying composition on an album that is added to CD Baby Pro?

Well, they are taking a very long time to send back confirmations or rejections, firstly, but if confirmed, they'll only be IDing your video content, NOT the music. So… while you could make ad revenue from your videos, you won't make money if anyone else out there uses your music in THEIR videos. That is the main difference. With our deal, YouTube will content ID the actual music.

Bill Stevens

If I write a CD, upload to Youtube – choose “sync licensing” option. I’d be paid when it’s played on my channel AND another youtuber correct? Do I need to send Youtube anything in particular to let them know we are working three way?

Please don’t tell me i have to send a form that will take 8 months to work.

Nope. In fact, it's good that you're already registered with a PRO. If Rumblefish is able to get you any TV placements, ASCAP will be authorized to collect your performance royalties for you.

The War I Survived

Sorry, hate to be redundant. So I've uploaded many live shows and music videos of my band. All contain songs I've released thru CDBaby. I too have monetization and adsense already set up for all my videos, so they already have a little pop up ad.

Yes. But… here's an advance bit of warning: If you opt-in music for which you're already earning adsense on videos in your own YouTube channel, one day soon you'll see a warning in your YouTube account stating that there's a little content ownership dispute. Basically, both you and Rumblefish are claiming to be the authorized party for collecting ad revenue on those videos. Not to worry, though.

This just means the Rumblefish/CD Baby catalog has been properly ID'd by YouTube. And as far as YouTube knows, Rumblefish is the authorized party. There is a way to continue earning direct revenue through the adsense thing-a-ma-bob you already have set up with YouTube for those videos AND to earn ad revenue through Rumblefish for anyone else's videos that may use the same song, though. You CAN have Rumblefish relinquish their claim to particular videos (the ones you own and manage in your existing YouTube account).

So, sign those tunes up for our sync licensing program. Wait for the warning. Then fill out that form. Apologies if that seems,… complicated or redundant. The wonders of digital content licensing! Feel free to write us again for more details down the line if you need a refresher.

Not to worry. That just means the Content ID process is working, … since Rumblefish has claimed the right to collect ad revenue for all videos where your music appears on YouTube (at least the tunes you opted-in through CD Baby). However, you can have Rumblefish relinquish their claim to particular videos (the ones in your YouTube account/channel) so that you can still collect ad revenue directly, but also have Rumblefish collect ad revenue for OTHER PEOPLE's videos that may use that same music.

The Content ID process works with sonic fingerprinting, so we can only collect ad revenue for videos that make use of the master recording of a song (the version you're selling on CD Baby), which is generally the studio version. However, if you're also selling a live recording through us, then yes, THAT particular live version of the song could earn ad revenue on YouTube as well.

Your song (both as a composition and as a master recording) are separate entities from the music video. I would go ahead and copyright your song now. Regarding YouTube advice, we have tons of articles on ways to make creative videos on a budget. Check 'em out here: http://diymusician.cdbaby.com/musician-guides/the…

Hey DC, I think you probably already saw these instructions that I just posted (pretty sure that is what you're referencing in our comment), but just in case, I'll restate them here:

If you opt-in music for which you're already earning adsense on videos in your own YouTube channel, one day soon (or already!) you'll see a warning in your YouTube account stating that there's a little content ownership dispute. Basically, both you and Rumblefish are claiming to be the authorized party for collecting ad revenue on those videos. Not to worry, though.

This just means the Rumblefish/CD Baby catalog has been properly ID'd by YouTube. And as far as YouTube knows, Rumblefish is the authorized party. There is a way to continue earning direct revenue through the adsense thing-a-ma-bob you already have set up with YouTube for those videos AND to earn ad revenue through Rumblefish for anyone else's videos that may use the same song, though. You CAN have Rumblefish relinquish their claim to particular videos (the ones you own and manage in your existing YouTube account).

Unfortunately, you have to wait until you get that copyright notice from YouTube (sounds like you already have). There is no proactive way to do it. But once you do, all you gotta do is go here and fill out this form:https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?hl=e…

I am in this situation and have filled the form that you recommend but I did not get any response the the claims are still up. I also emailed Rumblefish directly regarding that matter but my email too was ignored. I may not be a high profile musician but the fact that Rumblefish is ignoring such requests is annoying and makes them (and by extension Cd Baby too) look bad. I am seriously considering opting out.

Mailbox

I manage my wife's music career and am interested in your sync licensing program. Are you able to select only the original songs and not the covers (which are licensed by the publisher)? Also, let's say a big budget film wants to use one of my wife's songs. Are sync royalties negotiated at an industry standard level? My concern is, with someone I don't know doing the negotiating, they may "give away" our song for $500 in a $50 million big budget film. Please let me know your thoughts. Thanks!

Yes. Our sync licensing program is for original music only, NO covers (which would require getting permissions from and paying licensing money to the publisher/songwriters). If there are cover songs on some of your wife's albums, you can still go ahead and click the button to opt the whole album in for the sync deal (if that is what you want to do) and we'll automatically block any of the cover songs from being entered into the sync deal.

Regarding the money issue, yes. Industry standard, for sure. The negotiating power does reside with Rumblefish, to be clear, BUT… they only make money when you do; the more they can get for a placement, the more they make– the more you make. So they're incentivized to fight for fair fees.

Does the copyright notice say "Rumblefish"? If not, you should dispute that claim. With the CD Baby sync program, Rumblefish is only authorized to claim ad revenue for videos that make use of your master recordings (the tunes you opted-in through your CD Baby member account), NOT all versions of a composition.

I'd say give it another week. We've sent Rumblefish a HUGE amount of music in the past few weeks and they do have some manual elements to the procedure when it comes to analyzing your music for their music licensing search function. If you don't see anything after another week, write us at cdbaby@cdbaby.com

Moisés Nieto

Ok, thanks for your fast reply CDBaby! I can perfectly wait some weeks more if necessary, don't worry! xD I was just paranoid about being rejected, this program looks really great!

If you're talking about placements on TV, film, and commercials, Rumblefish will try to negotiate the best payment they can (since the more you make, the more they make!)

As for YouTube ad revenue, it depends on many factors. It's similar to how on-demand streaming services pay out. With YouTube, it depends on how much the advertiser is paying for that ad (which, again, varies based on a trillion different factors). A good guess is to say "a fraction of a penny to a few cents per play."

Does it mean if your music is Casted into Hollywood movies your get the part in the movie who is using your song.

Ray CeSoul

Most probably the answer is no. Our artist, Carl Henry had a track titled Perfect that features the Diplomats’ star JR Writer, that was used as background in the movie HOW SHE MOVE – we got paid for that as well as the HOW SHE MOVE Soundtrack Album. No one asked if Carl or JR Writer were available for a guest appearance in the movie. However, depending on the script and how your song will be used you may be get asked if you’re available to appear in the movie or TV series – if that is the case keep in mind that whatever you’re fee, you will have to pay a SAG permit fee.

Ray CeSoul

Most probably the answer is no. Our artist, Carl Henry had a track titled Perfect that features the Diplomats’ star JR Writer, that was used as background in the movie HOW SHE MOVE – we got paid for that as well as the HOW SHE MOVE Soundtrack Album. No one asked if Carl or JR Writer were available for a guest appearance in the movie. However, depending on the script and how your song will be used you may be get asked if you’re available to appear in the movie or TV series – if that is the case keep in mind that whatever you’re fee, you will have to pay a SAG permit fee.

aakkvv

If I only want to opt in for Microsync now because of a possible future deal for TV/Film placement with a licensing company, can I opt in for AllMedia at a later date? Do I have to first opt out of Mircrosync and then back in for AllMedia or can the TV/Film etc. portion just be added without the content first being taken off and losing the income stream.

That's really useful – I just got notification that one of my songs was being administered by Rumblefish and I was intending to dispute this. I'd obviously forgotten I'd authorised this through CDbaby!

Lil' D

How do we know when youtube has taken the id on the content?

Also how long is the process for cdbaby to get the numbers from the revenue to pay artists?

Well, if you've uploaded videos already that use that song, you will probably see a notice in your account that Rumblefish is claiming to be the authorized party to collect ad revenue. Then you know it's working. Also, we pay quarterly, so you'll find out the numbers every 3 months.

"You are also granting an exclusive license for Rumblefish to manage Content ID controls (and similar controls) on YouTube and other so-called “User-Generated-Content” Networks, as this will allow you to earn additional revenues that may be payable for the use of your content in videos on such networks."

This needs to be explained for dummies.

1) Am I not allowed to use any other company (Broadjam, for example) to license my music once I opt in?

2) I can still make personal license agreements for my songs, correct? For instance, say "Sons of Anarchy" want to use one of my songs, I can negotiate personally, right? I don't have to send them to Rumblefish, do I?

You are absolutely free to use other services to help generate income from music licensing. However, I'd recommend against authorizing any other companies to collect ad revenue from YouTube or similar companies, as Rumblefish already has this covered for you, and you don't want to create a rights dispute that will hold up your ability to collect that ad revenue.

Also, you are free to continue seeking your own licensing opportunities as well. Those are the best, of course, since you don't have to cut anyone else in on your money!

Gagnez

Hello I authorized a user to use my music in her YT video and to date it has nearly five million views. I know she is a YT partner and I wouldn't want the sync program, that I already signed up for, to interfere with her YT partnership. Will it?

They may see a copyright notice in their account regarding that video, and alerting them that Rumblefish is making a claim on the content (and thus on the ad revenue), but if you want them to continue to be able to collect ad revenue directly, you can fill out this form to have Rumblefish release that claim for that particular video:https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?hl=e…

However, you have to wait until the copyright notice has been sent from YouTube first before filling out that form.

Djscones

i have videos already uploaded under my youtube name will affect when seraching for my music

I'd HIGHLY recommend doing this. I signed up to Rumblefish over a year ago and it was a bit of a painful process (had to manually send in my discs) but it was well worth it. I get a royalty cheque of about $20 every couple months or so for doing nothing so I know it works. The audio swap tool is really incredible in Youtube & seems to be something Youtube is investing a lot of resources into. Now, with the ability to actually edit (trim), add filters / effects into your uploads, my guess is that eventually they'll have a full editing system available with AudioSwap (i.e. yours and my tunes) will be the most popular tunes to use.

Cool. Glad it's working out for you! I've been working with them directly for about 6 years, and those checks are always a nice surprise.

Rip

Pop-up ads are nothing compared to pre-rolls (these adverts before the video starts). It's horrible, I don't want this on my videos. Also, I'm all for getting money from this, but it looks like the guy who made a video doesn't get anything (unless it's split but I don't believe so, from what I've heard about exchanging soundtrack option on YouTube). Maybe that's alright for simple videos of cats and so on but if an artist works with an independent filmmaker who puts his work on YouTube… Not very nice.

My proposition for CDbaby. Please make more options available, not just one program. Apart from this YouTube thing, I'm sure there are many people who would love to have their music in movies, tv, computer games… (you know things on the ARTISTIC side), but at the same time are against usage in advertising.

I have a youtube channel with music videos on it. I constantly get requests from people asking me for permission to use my songs in their youtube videos. Where should I direct them? Should I just say "go ahead" and I'll automatically get paid by the content ID match? Or should I direct them to Friendly Music to purchase a sync license? How do these 2 programs work together? If they purchase a license for my song via Friendly Music and upload it in a video, will the Youtube content ID still recognize it a pay me on top of that?

If you have questions about your account, feel free to write cdbaby@cdbaby.com and we can look into it for you.

Some Metry Guy

I thought I only agreed to give half of royalties in exchange for management of submitted recordings.
The content ID system is not only flagging my own recordings in my own videos but also but live versions of the songs. I don’t remember licensing all future potential versions of the song.

Thanks for the explanation! I know it’s a complex issue. I’m a YouTube partner and have also opted my songs in to the CD Baby licensing program so I’m in the situation you mention in the last section of the article. I’ve already sent off the email to CD Baby that you suggest, asking for the “instructions on how to quickly solve this problem”, but I wondered if you shouldn’t perhaps post these instruction in a public part of your website as well.

It might also be a good idea to email this article, or an explanation along similar lines, to everyone involved in the licensing program. We don’t always click on links in the general CD Baby newsletters! And this information is important enough to make sure that everyone who needs to know it reads it.

Cheers ~ DC

Ashlinsmom

I have written a song that I want to get to CD baby, as well as on u tube..I want to complete a video to go with it, but am trying to make sure that all the clip art I use is not going to put me in a lawsuit..I don’t want to pay hundreds of dollars to use some of this art I want…TWO questions, do you have any recommendations for “how to make a video” for utube to go with your song? and shouldn’t i wait until I complete the video before I copyright the song with the Library of Congress?

Gracimusic

Ok, I have uploaded my own songs, my own videos on YouTube and they tell me that I don’t have the rights to the content. For sure I am doing something wrong, because the songs are mine and the images too… what is it?
Gracimusic

Ric Hampton

Hi Chris,
I have two albums licensed thru cdbaby. They are cover songs. Are they eligible for youtube ad revenues also? They receive revenues from all the other places cdbaby has placed them thus far. This great for all concerned please let me know.
Thanks
Ric Hampton

Guitarguymark

How about videos of live performances of my songs. I have live performances of my songs up on my YouTube channel. They aren’t the recordings on my CDs, so how does the sonic fingerprint work on them? Is there any way to collect on these live recordings? I know they have been used on-line by others already.
Thanks
Guitar Guy Mark

Ron Barnett

How much do you make when people play your music?

XLArve

It is great!

Davey Bob Ramsey

I gather from YouTube's AdSense product description that in the case of YouTube videos you'll only ever get paid for having the ads on your videos if someone actually clicks on the ad, i.e. navigates away from your video. And they don't seem to pay much per click. Wonder if it's worth it in the general scheme of things, I know as a user that I way prefer to watch videos that don't have ads pop up in them.

Nigebray

Could you please use English. It would be so nice to understand what you're saying

Before using this CD Baby/Rumblefish Youtube option consult an entertainment lawyer first.Let the lawyer read the agreements first and explain it to you.Intellectual Property is too valuable to give it away for free .You may be losing all your rights to your own songs and videos without knowing it.

Yes. You should always look into what you're signing before agreeing to anything. That being said, you do not lose the rights to anything. You keep the copyright for all your music and videos. You're simply allowing CD Baby and Rumblefish to license music on your behalf, and to collect ad revenue from YouTube for the usage of your music. Also, you can cancel at any time.

Christine

We would love to opt-in with the synch licensing, if it was WITHOUT you tube. As stated in your article you tube has become a great way to find new songs, music, artists! We do not want our fans that upload videos with our music to their great channels be compromised with copyright notices or ads.
Could there be a synch-licensing excluding youtube in the near future? E. g. a "nano synch"? We'd be opting in immediately! :-)))

Hi
I was wondering if you could help me out a little please….
I have recently gone bankrupt and lost my hostbaby site and in my sites email is my password to get into my cdbaby account which i cant get into because as my world has dropped from under me at the moment.
I'm not requesting you to switch me back on as that costs money and that's something i don't have at the moment.
Can you please email me so I can give you some sort of proof please (That the cdbaby I have site is mine)
Kind regards
Ritchie

Hey Ritchie, sorry to hear about your financial situation. Hope things turn around for you. As for your CD Baby account, I forwarded this message to someone in CD Baby customer service department so they can help you get back into your account. Also, feel free to call our customer service line if you need the password right away.

I've read through most of the links provided but can't seem to find the percentage of revenue (or fixed fee, if that's the case) that Rumblefish or CDBaby takes for licensing. Can you provide the information? Thanks

If you want to earn YouTube ad revenue, but NOT have Rumblefish pursue traditional sync opportunities like song placements on film, tv, commercials, then "MicroSync" is the option you'll want to select.

Snax

What if there is a live performance of one of our tracks on YouTube? Do we get revenue for that as well?

Thank you for all of this information, and for responding to all of the comments. You've thoroughly answered all of my questions. Appreciate it.

– J.

Judyindisguise

Does the creator of the video have to purchase the license to use my song through YouTube in order for ads to be placed with it? There are hundreds of videos on YouTube now that use my music, and most of them I have authorized but none of them purchased a license. Will these be caught via the digital fingerprint and will ads be placed with them? There seems to be some confusion over this as a friend recently received this response from CD Baby: "We cannot collect funds from YouTube videos that are using your music now or in the future. We can only collect those funds if they have purchased a license for your music through YouTube. You will need to be responsible for collecting funds or pursuing people that are using your music in an unauthorized manner.”

I'm so sorry. Whoever you received that response from was 100% wrong. I'll make sure our whole team is better informed on the intricacies of this sync deal,… but the CORRECT answer is: the YouTube content ID process will flag ANY video out there in the YouTube universe that uses music you've opted in for the CD Baby/Rumblefish sync licensing program. The YouTube account holders who are using your music will receive a notice saying that Rumblefish is claiming the right to collect ad revenue from this video for the usage of your song. They (the person you've authorized to use your songs in their videos) will not have to pay any licensing fees. Ads will appear on their videos, though, and that is how you'll earn money from your music's usage.

Ken

I currently have an album w/ cd baby and have a few questions: (1) what is the difference between the two choices of All Media and Microsync? (2) what if i don't have any videos (only album tracks)? (3) will i be notified of who or what chooses to use a song?Also, any additional costs to what I already paid to cd baby? Thanks.

No additional cost to join the program. All Media includes traditional sync opportunities- like TV, film, commercials, etc. MicroSync is for smaller new-media sync opportunities, like YouTube videos. You don't need to have videos of your own in order to make your music available for use in their videos. You will not be notified in advance about each usage, but you will see a quarterly report of every licensing sale/usage.

Ken

Thanks for the quick response. Does smaller new-media sync opportunities, like Youtube fall under the All Media as well? If so, sounds like All Media is the way to go?

1) What happens when you have a video with many different pieces of songs from several albums, all of which are on cdbaby?

2) Youtube has locked me out of my channel of more than 130+ videos with more than 400,000 viewers (without marketing :-)… I set up my account 5 years ago with an email house through my hostbaby parked site http://www.voicesofeden.com with email musicpeace at voicesofeden.com. I cannot access it – nor find solution through google help youtube help etc…

Regarding question #1, was all that content yours (in terms of copyright)? Has it been this way for a bit, or did it just happen in conjunction with CD Baby's sync program? Feel free to send an email to cdbaby@cdbaby.com with details.

Anonymous

My I opt-in ONLY for the YouTube option with the CD Baby Sync Licensing program? What if I do not wnat my songs to be licensed in other ways by Rumblefish?

Closest thing to that would be the "micro-sync" option, which excludes traditional sync opportunities for TV, film, commercials, etc.

Anonymous

So "micro-sync" is for YouTube only, correct?

Also, there are currently over 100 videos on YouTube with our music that fans of our songs have uploaded. We will be paid for these songs in these existing videos as well aa any new ones that appear, correct?

-this is non-exclusive, so I can still license elsewhere
-whether the music gets used by my own videos or someone else's, I just make money from the ads that play during the video
-technically, my song could get used for a terrible video that goes viral and there would be nothing I could do about that association.

-would rumblefish then have the right to place my songs in TV and film syncs? Can I approve that?
-how much money is made per ad or per video view?

Yes to your first 4 questions. Hover, you would not have the ability to approve placements. Rumblefish is able to be so effective at licensing because all the songs are pre-cleared, meaning if a producer wants a song for a TV show they can just negotiate the deal right away, rather than having to hunt down an artist who may be on tour, or have to talk to multiple band members. If they have to wait that long, the producer will probably just pick another song by a different artist. Production schedules are tight these days. As for money, there's no set figure since it's based on ad-revenue and so many factors go into how much those ads cost for the advertiser. But it works out to be similar to an on-deman streaming payout, anywhere from a fraction of a penny to a few centers per.

MicroSync is not limited to YouTube. It includes any type of project or production that makes use of multimedia or new media platforms. Examples include website-music, online video sharing (e.g., videos on YouTube), presentations, and apps (including app-games). This also includes a limited right for users to make physical copies (but not more than 100) of their production or project.

Also, yes. You'll be paid for every video that includes music that you've opted into the sync program.

Anonymous

All my songs on CD "A" are in the "micro-sync" option. Someone takes a song off of CD "A", places in her video and uploads it to YouTube on her own. She does not purposely or conscientiously choose to go through Rumblefish's YouTube library. Will I get paid for my song?

HI, you now have magical powers????, quote" ( magical high-tech machinery and register an exact sonic “fingerprint” for each and every one of your songs in their database)" You turned me off with that phrase, come on, did I come down in the last shower.

I have 4 of my of my own songs with guitar and vocal singing at home.
will they earn any form of payment? from youtube? ,and can they tell
that the songs are from my origial at cdbabys id print?,and should I add
the rest of my songs to you tube?Thanks for your feedback.

If you're selling those versions through CD Baby and you opt them into the program, and if anyone uses them on YouTube, then yes- you will earn money. Also, since there is now money to be made, I'd recommend signing up your whole catalog of recorded music.

Yaz_bakri

Ok, I’m new to all this ! I mix house music and I produce my own tracks sometimes. I was wondering if i upload one of my mix’s to youtube will it be removed for copyright ? Does CD Baby avoid that ? I’m lost !!

If the video creator purchases a license from Rumblefish's Friendly Music program, you'll get the $1.99 fee plus any ad revenue for that music's use on YouTube. If they do NOT purchase the license from Friendly Music, you'll still earn the ad revenue from YouTube.

Wintercrescent

Dear Cdbaby
I would like to recommend an article or something, to people that have opted in this licensing program! I have opted in and I await for acceptance. Instead of just waiting for acceptance, I found every single user who has uploaded a video with our music and send them a message to inform them that in a couple of weeks, youtube will ID the videos of our music and they might see a copyright message in our videos. I mention in the message that this is totally normal and that they don’t have to remove the videos from us, instead we encourage those people to upload more videos with our music explaining that the more videos they have uploaded from us, the more they support us!
I personally think that people who have uploaded a video and its flagged in their youtube account will get scared and I think that chances of deleting those videos are really high so encourage other artists to send a message to people that have uploaded their music!

Well, how much does the remix differ from the original? If it's a very different "sonic artifact" then I think their content ID process would think it is a unique composition. That is just a guess, though, without knowing more about your music.

But I like your idea of the artist notifying the video maker (if they can track them all down) to warn them NOT to be afraid of a copyright notice.

Also, it generally takes about 2-4 weeks.

Wintercrescent

Thank you for your quick response!
another question came by. We are now recording our second album and the licensing program gave me the idea of having our music with two versions. One with vocals and one without vocals so that people who want our music for their soundtrack, could choose between those to versions. I want the instrumental version of our new album to be exclusively available for soundtrack use! How can this be possible? What should I do in order to achieve that?

Thank you in advance CDBABY
You always rock !!!

Wintercrescent

Dear cdbaby
I made a little mistake about the date I opted in! In my account http://www.cdbaby.com/wintercrescent in the licensing it says that I opted in Opt-in Date
Album Winter Crescent Battle of Egos 01/11/2012
So I think its more than 4 weeks! I don’t think I did anything wrong so could you be kind enough to check my optimization ?

They buy-links are not part of our sync program. Where are you seeing them appear? Can you provide the URL so we can check it out? As for your first question, it would only appear if the person uploading the video includes your artist/song/album names in the description for the video.

Well, that is a great idea, of course. Most licensing firms want to get both versions of a track. However, with CD Baby's sync program there is no way to limit songs to particular usages or designate that the instrumental version is ONLY for soundtracks (but not for… apps, presentations, YouTube videos, etc.) If you're concerned about that limitation, you might want to just sign up the vocal versions with us and then keep the instrumental versions for any other licensing opportunities that come your way directly or through a 3rd party agency.

Wintercrescent

What I wanted to say is that I would not like to have the instrumental version available for mp3 sales in cdbaby and all the other companies that you deal with mp3’s like Amazon etc. but I would want it to be available for all the rest ( soundtracks . apps etc )! How this is going to be possible ?

Hey Thanos, I just had someone in our customer service department check into it. Looks like everything is fine and you have a "delivery pending" status with Rumblefish, so I'd say give it another week or two. Thanks!

Ah! Well, in order to be included in the sync deal you AT LEAST need to have that music available for MP3 purchase on cdbaby.com. You don't need to do the full distribution thing with iTunes, Amazon, etc. But you would need those tunes available for digital purchase through CD Baby.

TWBA

I have a related question: if we want to add instrumental versions of the songs, will we have to pay the usual fee to CD Baby as though we were adding a new album? We really don't want to offer these to the general public, just music licensing opportunities.

Anonymous

I'm a musician and that would be so very helpful to get paid for my music…is easy to set all this up?http://kiyomimusic.com

Very easy. It's just a simple opt-in process in your CD Baby members account.

Guest

What if video already on Youtube are not identified correctly? Can I send them a list of video that has my music?
Thanks.

Karyn Ellis

Hi there CDbaby folks! Are you planning to include the option to click yes to micro licensing, but no to Youtube ads? I don't want ads on my videos shown through my channel, but I am interested in making my music available to other people to use in their projects. Currently it appears you have to opt-in to youtube ads if you want to take advantage of the micro licensing.

The answer to question 1 is yes and no. Advertisers pay YouTube. YouTube pays the PROs. And the PROs pay the composers/publishers. However, YouTube doesn't send along detailed stats, so essentially, the PROs are just guessing at who they need to pay, and like usual… that means Lady GaGa can buy another weird outfit and the indie musicians with a few thousand plays won't see any performance royalties from YouTube.

As far as ads, they are the pop-ups.

Reynolds_bill

realistically how long will it take once we see “delivery in process” on our sync liscensing opt in linky. its been about a week or so for me, i’m just curious? seems like with perhaps thousands of artists jumping in at once it could be a mess? perhaps not?

Usually a couple weeks. But you’re right– with everyone jumping in at once, our initial delivery was massive, and Rumblefish is taking a bit longer to process that music in their catalog. Not a mess at all, just… slowed a bit. I’d say give it a couple more weeks.

Frogpoet

what if only a portion of my song gets used in the video? say for example that the video is only 30 seconds long but my song is 2 minutes, so the video creator only uses the portion of the song he thinks fits in best. will that section of the song be id'ed? or does the whole song need to be in the video? if only a section of the song needs to be in the video, there must be some smallest amount of time before the id can match; i wonder if it would be five seconds or ten seconds. any idea? also does the beginning of the song have to be included for the fingerprint to match, or can someone only use say 30 seconds of the very middle of my song and still get the fingerprint to match?

The fingerprinting should still match, but I'm not sure exactly how short a clip would still get properly ID'd. I'll look into that.

Frogpoet

does someone actually have to click on the advertisement for me to get paid (this assumes the advertisement has a link of some sort), or is it sufficient for the user to just view the advertisement? will any advertisements be skippable by viewers after X number of seconds, and if so, and the user skips the advertisement after Y seconds (where Y >= X of course) then does that affect payment? presumably the user might be able to watch 90 % of the ad before he gets tired and skips the rest – would that count as a skip or a view?

Ads are pop-ups, not the ones that play beforehand. Also, yes. They must be clicked in order to generate ad revenue.

Frogpoet

do i need to have my song registered with the United States Copyright Office (Form SR) before opting in? i assume not since it appears that this service is available world-wide – is my assumption correct ?

You are correct. You do NOT need a US copyright registration. Though, of course, it's always good to copyright your music, no matter what country you live in!

Borntalent

I released an album in 2008 Born Talent- The Essence on Cdbaby, and many people from all over took mp3s of my song and uploaded my songs to Youtube with a pic of my album cover (without my permission of course). Many of these videos have over 10,000 views. Do I get money from all of these video of my songs… or is it only moving forward?
Also.. if they a view a full commercial, we do not get money unless someone click on the ad? I dont think antyone actually clicks on the ads..do they?
thanks,
Born Talent

Some folks must be clicking ads, because YouTube keeps putting them up there, and they are generating ad revenue from them. To your first question, you do not get paid retroactively. Only clicks moving forward.

If you're working with another licensing company that handles YouTube mico-sync opportunities, I would recommend you NOT sign up with us/Rumblefish for the same service. You'll end up tying up your music/video with copyright disputes.

Funcjazriddim

what if you are also licensing your music through other sync companies, which have done deals that ended up on youtube?

Hi guys, apologies if this question has already been asked (didn’t spend time sifting through all 150 comments…), but are there any plans for other video-hosting services to offer this service as well? Specifically, Vimeo? Not that you guys have anything to do with those companies, but just thought you might have an ear to the ground 🙂

~~Matt

Moisés Nieto

Hi!
6 weeks have passed since my music was accepted in the licensing program, but it still hasn't been "ided" in youtube >_< Should I send an e-mail to cdbaby or should I wait a bit more?~

See you!!
Moisés Nieto

Moisés Nieto

Ignore my last comment! One of my songs has just been ided, so I expect the rest of them will be recognized soon too xD Thanks for your service!

LR

Your FAQ on cancelling says to use the "cancellation form". Where exactly is this? I hope it's not under "cancel this album", because I don't want to cancel the whole album, just the Rumblefish bit.

Ah, sorry for confusion. Basically, go to the normal cancellation form. Click the "view/edit" button for the particular album, then under the "Album Info" section— click the "cancel this album" link. Then choose "Cancel from Specific Partners" and you can select Rumblefish. That'll close down your sync stuff but keep your album selling everywhere else.

Cowboix

So i up loaded a montage of MW3 game play and i had the third party copyright thing show up, so does that mean my video is gone and people can’t look it up?

I'm not sure I understand. Did you use someone else's copyright images? If so, it may've been taken down.

Wintercrescent

Ok …. Everything is good! We now have our music available in rumblefish !!! Thank you cdbaby !!!

Brownbagjohnson

QUESTION to CDBABY or anyone else who may know a lil more about all this….. I just opted in for the Youtube sync for my artist account. Will I receive royalties from videos of my music posted by other people, previous to my “opt-in”??? In other words… will I see any $$$ from my songs/videos posted by Joe Shmo a year or 2 ago??
If so, how does it work? If not… why not? ANY and All answers are much appreciated. THX!

The members of the management company of copyright (SIAE, BMI, ASCAP, SACEM, SGAE, SUISA …) can also use this license? They are simultaneously compatible? The exclusivity of the PROs regard this case or situations are different? Thanks!

You will not earn money for usage before you signed up. The program is not retroactive because YouTube's content ID process only happens once you're signed up, and while I suppose YouTube COULD assume that previous plays of a video contained the same sonic material as what they've just ID'd… that just ain't the way YouTube wants to do it.

Which license are you referring to? The PROs are not collecting ad-share or micro-sync fees for your music's usage on YouTube. So yes, if you're already signed up with ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, etc.– you can still be a part of CD Baby's sync licensing program.

YouTube's content ID system would not ID two different live performances of a song as the SAME tack. Unless of course the performance and mix were nearly identical, which I can't imagine happening. In terms of live versions and the CD Baby sync program, YouTube will only be paying us for tracks we've delivered. So you're welcome to monetize any videos/music on YouTube yourself that are not being distributed via CD Baby. The only down-side to the direct monetization/ad-share setup is that you won't be paid if someone ELSE uses those tracks.

Discussing this with friends – how does fingerprinting work for live versions? I came across a page on YouTube that says we can upload content to their database and then choose to monetize it, how sensitive is the system? If we upload one live version, how accurate will it be in identifying other similar live versions?

Just spoke with the folks at Rumblefish. Apparently it was a misidentification by YouTube's content ID system. They removed the claim on this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgF00ETtAkI&fe…
Let them know if you have any other weird instances of YouTube IDing.

If you send these examples to our customer service team (cdbaby@cdbaby.com), they can look into it with Rumblefish.

Steve

Hello Thanks for your article, There seems to be an issue with my songs that have been uploaded by someone else before this You tube partner thing started, the problem is those songs are not being recognized as my music, when people upload my music or videos now it gets linked to my label.
but my music uploaded by others before i started this program, is not being Identified as mine, could you shed some light on this?
Thanks

Are those other people uploading videos that include the exact same mixed, mastered version of songs that you signed up with CD Baby's sync licensing program? If so, contact cdbaby@cdbaby.com with details and we'll look into it. If they're different versions not included in our catalog then YouTube will have no way to properly ID them as yours.

Hi Chris – unfortunately I didn’t read this article in time and disputed Rumblefish’s claim on two of my videos when I uploaded my music to YouTube, and they retracted it right away! I feel very stupid now… is there a way to undo this?

Before “sync licensing” I had shared revenue with you tube but since I did it with “rumblefish” I lost it all with googles ad sense. I have a doubt that “Rumblefis.” is fraud . They receive the revenue but do not transfer it CDBABY nor directly to my account . I even lost my monitizating on my other videos which I have not synced with “Rumblefush”

I can assure you that Rumblefish is not a fraud. I actually have worked with them for my own music for about 6 years now, long before CD Baby's partnership with them. It can take a while for YouTube ad payments to be reported in your CD Baby account, since it's gotta go from YouTube to Rumblefish to us. But it'll show up. However, if you're dissatisfied with any part of the deal, feel free to write cdbaby@cdbaby.com to get things changed or fixed.

Hello CDBaby Guru, love what you’ve done and what you are doing for indie music. Incredible!

I do have serious questions about this though, I just ran into my first upload receiving a “Matched third party content. ” notice for a video containing MY music of which I fully own and have sold through CDbaby for about a decade or so.

QUESTION 1: Which do you feel would equal the highest income, YouTube rev share, (i.e. clicking the monetize button I worked so dang long to earn, ) or, uploading vids with older tunes in them in the CDbaby catalogue and just letting the content ID’r find them?

QUESTION 2: Please forgive this one but it is mondo importante’ and I’m sure other musicians have wondered about this. What about YouTube’s audio swap. I tested a few soundtrackless vid’s and went to search for some of my tracks I know for certain are already being tracked by Rumblefish, none of my tracks were available in AudioSwap, yet, I would like them all to be, how?

QUESTION 3: I don’t want to be in BMI or ASCAP right now, will Rumblefish pay my YouTube “matched content” fees directly to my CDbaby account (which then goes direct to me) WITHOUT having to put every track into one of the big houses like BMI or ASCAP?

Thank you,
~Marcus
aka marcusunlimited

Judypancoast

I opted into the Micro Sync program back a few months ago. I have a song, “The House on Christmas Street,” that is used in thousands of videos. How can I tell if Rumblefish has identified those videos? They are not my videos, so they don’t show up in my own YouTube account, so I can’t see the “Matched Third Party Content” notice.
Can you help?
Thanks!

Have you uploaded any videos to your own YouTube account with that song? Did you get the "third party" warning displaying in your account? If so– it's working. If not, feel free to contact us at cdbaby@cdbaby.com

Regarding your first question, there's two ways to look at it: first, if the ONLY instances of your music being used on YouTube are in your own account/channel, then you might as well just use the direct revenue share. But if other people are using your music in their videos, you should do the CD Baby sync program so you can collect money for ALL those usages.

Regarding 2, the AudioSwap thing has not been enabled yet. Will keep you posted with more details as we get them.

And for 3, yes. Rumblefish pays us, and we pay you. You do NOT have to involve any P.R.O. affiliation in order to collect micro-sync fees.

Steve Cass

Yes, no need to register the song with one of the PROs for personal digital uses. That’s what the sync agreements and digital agreements are all about. But, if a place of business decides to use your audio for public performance, from any source including YouTube, you will want to register the tunes with your PRO. When the tune is reported as used, your PRO account will receive credit. AND it’s better to register as both the publisher and the songwriter to receive maximum royalty revenue.

I’m looking for facts about AudioSwap. I have found one of my tracks via AudioSwap – but I have published a lot more songs. What can I do to add all of the tracks, I’ve published via CDBaby, to the AudioSwap Library?

And to Rumblefish: Is it possible to see all the infos Rumblefish collects about my tracks? I’d like to know where exactly my music was used.

Best,
Sven

Jordinkid

i wish i would have seen this article earlier…i was OUTRAGED..under the impression someone else was claiming my songs to be theirs

Hey, I posted my song on YouTube and it got about 3000+ views and there are ads on it and Im just wondering how long it takes for the money to show up in my account. Its been about 5 months and I still have not seen any activity happen.

Our first Rumblefish payment only accounted for the first couple days of the partnership. Our 2nd payment is coming soon, and that will be for a much longer period than just 2 days.

Willy

My main priority is getting those links under YouTube vids that use my songs which let people click to download the song on iTunes, Amazon, etc. The ads aren't that alluring to me — and in one case in particular I definitely don't want any ads on the video. Are the two mutually exclusive, or can I get those music site links without having to have ads on my videos?

I'm pretty sure if you're partnered in and were able to get the fancy download links, then you're going to have to enable ads too. The ads are YouTube's incentive for letting you use their extra tools–their chance to earn money from your videos.

I wish I read this more carefully. I just made a video using one of my songs, and I got that notice about it IDing the fingerprint, and I got confused, and like an idiot I DISPUTED MY OWN SONG. So now I can't monetize the video while it's in dispute. I see no way of canceling my dispute (I couldn't find a way to contact YouTube–I sent an email that was rejected by a bot).

Hi did you get an answer to this as i have done the same and whats more i won the dispute and you tube took the copyright notice off-what course of action were you advised to take? Would reloading the video effectively start the process again?

I would recommend BOTH, since they perform different services. Rumblefish is a music licensing firm (who is actually partnered with CD Baby for our sync licensing program); they help you get your music into film, TV, games, YouTube, and more. ASCAP is a performing rights organization (like BMI, SESAC, etc.) who collects performance royalties on your behalf.

Oliver

Where is the cancellation form for the sync agreement? I cannot locate it on the site.

Most likely, our sync-licensing partner Rumblefish is putting a claim on that video because the music used in it is also part of CD Baby's sync-licensing program. However, you can have Rumblefish release the claim to that particular video—but still retain the right to collect ad revenue for OTHER videos that use the same music. Fill out this info: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?form…

thefatmouth

So are you saying that an original music video getting hits on YouTube only makes money for the copyright holder through advertising? …no royalties for the tune just being played (eg from PRS)?

Correct. As of right now, you're only paid for the ad-share. Basically, all the laws in these areas were very grey. Then YouTube becomes hugely popular and changes how video is used forever. The law and common sense are trying to catch up. But we're working hard to try to open up revenue streams (mechanicals, performance royalties, whatever else is possible) for indie bands through YouTube.

We need figures. You need to inform the artists how much exactly they will make with Youtube monetization through CD Baby. Although the opportunity for licensing sounds good, there are many other options to license our music out there. Because Youtube is potentially a very significant income for us vs falling music sales, I am considering alternatives to CD Baby to release my songs on music platforms, anything that will not claim my creations ‘matched 3rd party content’. It’s extremely frustrating to know that the money generated from my efforts is going to somebody else, and in absence of sufficient transparency I am asking myself many, many questions.

August Rising

Hey Chris, my name is Jarod and I am basically the record label for my band. And what fun it is…I already understand that if we were signed up for micro sync, CD Baby & Rumblefish take a % of ad revenue generated from our YouTube videos. My question is…If someone happens to make a video with any of our songs on YouTube (which is already done) is there any way for you guys to collect monies from spins from those specific videos or ONLY ad revenue, which you would have to claim ownership of their video(s)? If not, is there anyone that does collect these monies?

What is the % breakdown of what we would receive from each purchase? There is some grey area here…. I just filled out the relinquish form (as we are already YouTube partners) and would like to collect ad revenue directly. Depending on how much of a cut we get from the purchases listed above (a, b, and c) I will base my next option to remove our entire catalog from any/all licensing opportunities.

If you could let me know at your earliest convenience that would be awesome. Email is below…Thanks much, hope you had a great Holiday and have a rockin New Years.

The split is 50/50 between artist and Rumblefish/CD Baby. So for Friendly Music purchases you'd make half of those listed amounts. Also, regarding ad revenue for YouTube videos, that is the only revenue source right now for indies, but we're working hard to open new revenue streams for DIY artists for YouTube plays (publishing royalties for streams, etc.) beyond simple ad share.

Well, it's tough to say how much an artist will make for a few reasons. The biggest reason is that YouTube ad-share payments vary depending upon a host of factors — but the payments are generally in the same range as on-demand streaming payments from Rhapsody or Spotify. Also, the more videos your music is used in, and the more those videos are played, the greater your chances for earning ad revenue — but that will be different for every artist. Lastly, the certain part: for all micro-sync revenue, there's a 50/50 split. You earn 50 percent and Rumblefish/CD Baby keep 50 percent. Hope that helps give you enough information to figure out what sync solution is best for you, but please let me know if you have any other questions.

Brigid Mhairi

I have done this twice (informed CD Baby that it is me uploading my own work to YouTube) and it was quickly resolved. But I know someone else has used my music with my permission but their video was not picked up by the Content ID system so that no ads appear against it. Could it be that Rumblefish got sniffy and stopped “collecting” on my behalf because I asked them to exempt me from my own agreement?

a_d

Did this ever get resolved? There are three videos where my tracks were not picked up by the Content ID system. It probably means I lose three pennies, but I’m still curious about what to do.

Youtube is the #3 website on the planet, right behind google and facebook…based on that alone it's foolish to ignore it

Channa Monnekulame

Hi! I recently stumbled upon a Video that had been posted on Youtube, where an artist was lip sinking to my original recording that is on CD baby. So what do i do??? Do I flag this Video ??? Please recommend what course of action I should take.

stan1954

All that I hear on commercials is old 20 years old music nothing new our 10 years old
why is that? Stanley Daniels

I think it all depends on the context. Is it clear they're lip-syncing to someone else's song, or are they playing it off as if it's their own original work? If they credit you as the artist (in the video title or in the notes), and if it's your master recording, you might consider letting them keep the video live — since YouTube's content ID system will recognize it as your music and pay you a share of ad revenue that the video generates (if you're signed up with CD Baby's sync licensing program). Plus,… it's an endorsement of your music! If you want it taken down, I think you could just write them in the comments section and tell them you'd like them to remove it.

rosimarss

Hello How are you! I’m still a little confused here! I monetize my youtube videos with a style network. My boyfriend have his music in contentid with you cdbaby. My last video has the “matches third party content” I have to press the “acknowledge” button or no?

Rumblefish automatically monetize the videos right away without problems?

And I always credit my boyfriend anyway in my videos.

Please I want to know because I use and will be using his music a lot!

I have a question my boyfriend makes music and people use his music, they didnt buy it off him but they do videos for it and they make money off it how does he make money off those videos with his music on it ?

Well, there's two ways. One could be from a license paid from the the video maker to your boyfriend for that usage. It's called a sync license. Though if they know each other, lots of times indie artists don't ask for fees. In return, they get exposure for their music. The second way he could make money is by signing up for CD Baby's sync licensing program, and then we would collect for him a share of any ad revenue generated from the usage of his music in those same videos.

I have at least two original songs, one written a number of years ago, which was almost accepted by Atlantic Records. Just dropped the ball on it years back, much to the chagrin of the vocalist, whose whereabouts is totally unknown to me. The early song is copywrited in my name, the latter not. Is it not wise to record any of your songs for Youtube viewing, without first
checking out other options?

What other options do you mean? I would say it's ALWAYS good to put your music on YouTube. It's the world's largest music-discovery engine! As for hunting down people who share the copyright or own the copyright to songs you were involved in creating, that's another challenge.

Thanks Christopher for the heads up! Actually I also have an arrangement or two, one semi-original, the other just an interpretation of a song which was dedicated to an esteemed friend, who was killed in an auto accident almost 11 years ago; it was his favorite hymn per his widow. I guess I'll give it a go, but I am SO GLAD I found out the "poor man's coyright" method is bogus, and will
NOT suffice. Used to know about a Songwriters group, this pre-Web by the way, whereby one could get a few songs secured without having to go to the US Copyright Office. Know anything about that group? THANKS a whole lot!

Not sure what the legal experts who comment on this blog would be, but I would suggest you consult with an entertainment attorney if you plan to monetize a number of videos using other peoples' compositions, just to make sure you've covered yourself.

Not sure what the legal experts who comment on this blog would be, but I would suggest you consult with an entertainment attorney if you plan to monetize a number of videos using other peoples' compositions, just to make sure you've covered yourself.

Hello there, I have a question regarding copyrighted material on Youtube. I am a violin player and I want to start uploading my own videos playing several songs, not only popular-classic, but from Videogames as well, and monetize them using the partnership program (I am already a partner). I had an issue with a video I uploaded recently playing a classical song, that was found as “matched third party content”, and I don’t want to break any rules before I start monetizing my recordings, so I deleted it to keep my Youtube account safe.

Could you please tell me how to proceed to avoid this licencing issues?

Debra Hope Miller

Hi Barry,

I received the notice from YouTube the other day. I didn't dispute it, but emailed CDbaby. It's my original piece and have copyrighten with LOC. Would you recommend I dispute it, so Youtube knows that I own my own work. And, I have views and comments/fans…would I lose that then by reloading?

And I guess major question, are you glad you did that and how is it working for you? Thanks.

I really appreciate what you have done to try to get people to answer me but it really does not seem like anybody has a clue what is going own in your company and since RumbleFish is deaf to my inquiries, I a, going to stop that nonsense.

I hope my issue helps informing others before opting in.

Juan Zambrano

How will this affect my administration/publishing deal if I have one with a major publisher?

If I’m an independent artist/producer, and I write, produce and upload to YouTube a song that has not been delivered to my publisher as part of my catalog with them, would I be in breach of my adminitration/publishing agreement with them?
I understand it all depends on each individual agreement, but normally how would this work?
Do I have to pay them after YouTube’s statement?
Or is this CD Baby basically performing as a publisher, in which case I would undoubtelly be in breach of my agreement.
What is the basic concept here?

Since I'm not sure about the details of your publishing deal, I'm not sure whether or not you'd be violating any terms by working with CD Baby in this capacity. BUT… I'd assume that if your deal allows for SOME of your songs to be included in the publishing deal with them, but also allows you to have a catalog of songs that is outside the scope of that deal, then you're fine to use CD Baby to help monetize any video on YouTube that makes use of one of the songs your publisher DOESN'T do the administration work for. Does that make sense? Best bet would be to contact your publisher and see what is allowable within the terms of your agreement.

Sorry you're having a frustrating time with this. That GoogleDoc is no longer the procedure for releasing Rumblefish/CD Baby's claim on videos. All you have to do now is dispute the claim with YouTube directly for the videos within your own channel. YouTube will release those videos back to you, and then CD Baby will be able to continue collecting ad-revenue for you from the usage of your music in OTHER peoples' videos.

If you're selling music on CD Baby that is also used on YouTube in videos (either your own or in other peoples' channels), then just sign up for our sync licensing program and we'll make sure you're paid ad-revenue whenever someone clicks on the ads displayed on videos that use your music. YouTube's content ID program will detect the tunes.

Send them a message and ask them politely to provide the purchase link to your music in the description. You wouldnt want to lose one of your biggest fans.

Airborne Mark

Hey All,
Once we received that dreadful CD Baby copyright notice, you mention we should not dispute it, right? I aknowledged it and my video has been unavialable for 12 days now! Does it mean that I should not have aknwoledged the claim at all? Like by not choosing neither of the options and just leaving it alone? How long does it take to for the system to take down that notice anyway! What I pickle 🙁

"If a video is unavailable, that wouldn't be something that has to do with our sync/YouTube program. We wouldn't remove a video or make it unavailable, so that may indicate that YouTube had some other issue with the video and took it down.

If you acknowledge the notice, it should go away right away. But whether you acknowledge or dispute, the video shouldn't be pulled for any reason. If you have any other questions, give us a call or write cdbaby@cdbaby.com."

Sorry if this question is answered before; I noticed that some labels are releasing their albums on YouTube with a constant image and annotated links that jump from song to song, like a table of contents. I started doing this for my albums, with a different video for each song but then I realized other people are actually doing it with 1 video for all the songs on the album, so the annotations just jump back and forth within the video. Here’s an example http://youtu.be/0aAy6YPCe-4

Obviously 1 video is better for getting a high number of clicks. My question is, would this negatively impact Content ID income through the Rumblefish arrangement. Would all the songs be IDd to that one video? Would there be as much money coming in or would it just be one video’s worth of money? Am I explaining this correctly?

The downside is that you don't have your individual song titles in the title of the YouTube video — which obviously helps for search. The plus, as you mentioned, is you'll have more views for that single video (which contains all the songs). As for YouTube ID and ad revenue, they'll be able to ID it properly and pay you for any ads clicked. It's tough to say (since I'm not privy to YouTube/Google's method for determining ad rates) if the rates would be exactly the same for one long video as they would be for a bunch of shorter ones (assuming the same amount of people were to click either way).

Awesome. Thanks for the reply. I hadn’t thought of the video title factor.

disqus_GKoLZdrmuy

i dont own the song and i already disputed the video, can i still earn money ? i made a video that i earn everything in it, except the song. please help

Steve Cass

Hi, I just want to make sure that what I am thinking is correct and up to date. Please confirm.
1. I have opted in with sync/Rumblefish. I have uploaded my vids (with songs that are opted in), but decided to dispute. Question: Because I have disputed, therefore released from the Rumblefish catalog, I can now monetize these vids through YouTube, correct?
2. This still enables the third party content ID system to ID my songs when they are uploaded by others, correct?
3. Do I need to register songs previously recorded, and not registered and opted in, with CDBaby/Rumblefish in order for these to be registered with the content ID system?
Thanks much,
Steve

Did you dispute the 3rd party claim on those videos? If so, that could cause some confusion. Please call 1-800-BUY-MY-CD or write to cdbaby@cdbaby.com with the details and song names, etc. We’ll get it straightened out. Our artist support folks can address your other questions in more detail too.

Thanks Chris. Yes I disputed. But I disputed with a goal in mind: to remove the videos I uploaded from having ads. The goal also includes to monetize all vids later through YouTube.
So, the question remains: since I have disputed, does the thirty party content ID system still work on these songs when others upload them?
Do I need to register older songs that I intend to upload in order to utilize the content ID system?
Thanks Chris

Yes. We will still monetize them elsewhere in the YouTube universe. And yes, if you want to monetize older songs throughout YouTube, you will need to enter them into our sync program (and thus sign them up, if they’re not already registered/distributed via CD Baby).

I’d recommend giving us a call so we can make sure the dispute doesn’t cause any issues. But no, I don’t think it alters our ability to collect $$ when your music is ID’d in videos outside your channel.

AudioSwap controls the delivery timeline for when we send them tracks, and it’s fairly infrequent. That’s probably why we got one track into the catalog, but haven’t been able to deliver the rest since. Hopefully your music will get delivered there with our next batch of songs. But since they’re the ones who have to give the go-ahead, I can’t provide any ETA.

Hi there! In the ‘digital distribution sales’ chart on the CDBaby website, it says that my most recent sales are for April. However, my song was released on May 1st? I was expecting to receive my first money on 1st July rather than today, but maybe I’m wrong. Just a bit confused.

I noticed this notice today, I was worried at first that I would be inadvertently “suing” myself! Before I found this article I chose, since I KNOW I own it anyway, to acknowledge the claims. I figure as long as youtube isn’t taking down my videos, I don’t care. I see allot of people wanting their cake and eating it too – I don’t blame them…. if the money is really better. But somehow I feel if my music is in other people’s vids of cats or even horses mating… I’m making money on that video! I have the AllMedia opt-in, so I dunno if that give me a better payout, but I’m almost certain that if I were to take say…. google’s .04/play on MY video and compare to say 10 vids (9 of which I can’t get money for) that have my music and I get .02 per play, then in MY opinion, that that .20 is better than the .04.

Not to mention, if you really think about it, you’d have to spend a lot of time/money to slap a claim on EVERY vid that has your music in it. Nothing is for free, so in my opinion I allow CDBaby/RF to make some dough, and in return, I have some dough and no headache! (I’d rather be jammin’ anyway!)

Thanks for the article!

Amber lee StarDoll

hi im amber lee im 11 yrs old i write a song the title was “NAUGHTY” this song was all about fun how can i make it popular?

Aloha! I want to thank you for posting this article, and for all the comments on it. Last night we released a new album, “Ka`apuni,” which includes the traditional chant, “Holei” set to modern music by Led Ka`apana. We decided to go pro with this album and see how the income streams work out. I signed up for everything. For the release, I made a video with our recording of “Holei” and put it up on Youtube.

As soon as it loaded, I got the dreaded “third party conflict” notice. I immediately logged in here and read everything. I filed a dispute.

This morning, my video is up and running, people are clicking away at it, and giving us some really nice comments. It’s all integrated nicely into our FaceBook page. So, mahalo. I am really happy with how well this is working. Now, if it translated to income, I will be ecstatic!

OK, YouTube was great about letting me publish our music on our music video. But I still can’t seem to figure out how to get them to list our music so it can be used by other people. I need help figuring out this opt-in thing. Do I need to join a PRO before it will work?

Well, if you’re signed up with CD Baby’s YouTube Monetization program, any time someone uses your music in one of their videos, YouTube will ID your music in the video and serve up an ad. Then you get to collect ad revenue generated by those videos. As far as getting people to use your music, you should let your fans know that you’re encouraging that kind of usage of your music. There’s also the FriendlyMusic catalog that Rumblefish runs for this purpose. A lot of CD Baby artists have their music in there through our sync licensing program.

Mahalo for your reply. I ended up phoning someone at CD Baby and eventually kindasorta I think maybe understand. I had thought that the CD Baby YouTube Monetization program would have my music listed in the YouTube catalog that people can go to any apply audio to their videos. But the person I spoke with said that they are two completely different programs.

Hey there, I have a question… In terms of collecting revenue from other people using my music, does it count if I was ONLY the vocalist who wrote the song and melodies, and not the beat itself? I am so confused and need help 🙁

If you wrote the lyrics and melody, you’ve arguably written the ENTIRE song, meaning you’re owed 100% of the publishing royalties. That being said, if your producer/beat-maker contributed musical elements that significantly altered the song (or added hooks that are now inseparable from the rest of the song in people’s imaginations), then that producer would have a share in the ownership of the song.

im with scalelab and every song i load seems to get a ^claim’ on it even unreleased ones could i still get cd baby as it sounds great but scaleab wont let me break my contract with them for 3 months.Wheni look on adsense my revenue is 120 pds since february ive only earned 44 pds with scalelab as they take a 3rd i make video 5 times weekly……

ShadTheMinecrafter

Thanks for the explanation!

D. Sam Pranesh

Hey Chris,

I am a composer and wanted to make my own album comprised of say 10 songs. Though I come from a kind of wealthy family, have no support from them financially because I come from an orthodox Christian family. Is there any firm you can suggest that would help me release just a single and once I make money from that, I can take care of the remaining. I am an India by the way.

Dear Christopher, It is really good to see that how well you are answering everybody here!!! Now what I find around is that this youtube contentID system is a bit confusing because as you know how music has been a long term debate issue from the last decade, as music is based on limited key notes and beats of limited instruments, so it is obvious that how hard one try to create a original piece of music nobody can deny the fact that it will still sound similar to some or the other music in the world so plz specify how does youtube establish this copyright procedure running through some audio reading automated machines, what is actually a original music for youtube does it need a claimant shouting its mine and how do you filter a song as it contain three component a vocal , lyrics and the beats running with it!! how do u term it as original ?? because as a singer and composer if I sing and write a song and put a beat or two separately from a free loopware site and mix it with my own tune of singing will it still be not original because I used a drum or piano from freeloop??? or if I play it from my own drum and the beats matched some song of the world which it will then what will happen to my creation!! yes I am a bit paranoid with this so much strictness on creativity…creativity cannot blossom under such pressure, regards…waiting for your anticipating reply

The Content ID system relies heavily on sonic fingerprinting technology. That’s why it’s advisable (if you want to steer clear of rights disputes and confusion) to stay away from free beats and samples, because those will get flagged as altogether different recordings (usually the source recording, or some earlier recording that used identical material). Complicated territory, for sure!

Sandra, those art tracks were delivered to YouTube (by CD Baby) as part of your digital distribution, since YouTube is now a subscription streaming service. For streaming subscribers, you earn a per-stream royalty for those videos (similar to Spotify, Apple Music, etc.) For ad-supported views by non-subscribers, you earn a share of ad-revenue, just as you would through our YouTube monetization program.

That’s a good question. If you have monetization set up for that song (through CD Baby, hopefully!) then you should earn a share of ad revenue for all the videos that use your song. If you want to just outright license the song to him, you have a few options (one time fee, ongoing renewal, etc.) but I’d suggest consulting with an attorney or licensing expert.